To paraphrase Mr. T, pity the fool who walks into an Igudesman & Joo concert expecting a serious classical music performance.

The pianist uses wood blocks and karate chops on his keyboard, the violinist solos with a drill, the two of them sing, and they mash up classical, rock and pop tunes.

Russian-born violinist Aleksey Igudesman and British-born pianist Hyung-ki Joo -- who perform their "A Little Nightmare Music" show today at UTEP as part of the El Paso Chamber Music Festival -- are popular musical comedians with millions of YouTube followers to prove it.

They're serious about what they do, and they have the training and the chops (not just karate chops) to pull it all off. By mixing classics with pop music and schtick, Igudesman & Joo hope to change perceptions on both sides of the aesthetic fence.

"What is very important to us is to take down the borders between classical and popular music," Igudesman said from Los Angeles. "Pop is just as complex as classical, and classical is just as complex as pop."

Their version of "I Will Survive" -- the video of which has been viewed nearly 6.5 million times on YouTube -- combines slapstick, Gloria Gaynor's disco hit, Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony, Europe's "The Final Countdown," Vivaldi and gypsy violin.

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"It's kind of showing through that that all music is from the same source, based on the same harmonic structure, and it seamlessly fits on each other," Igudesman said, acknowledging that it's also their subtle way of saying "we will survive music, and classical will survive."

The two musicians met as teenagers at England's Yehudi Menuhin School. There, they learned to appreciate all kinds of music, theater and literature, and they first collaborated on skits for a Christmas cabaret.

With the evolving "A Little Nightmare Music," which debuted in 2004, and a new show, "And Now É Mozart," which premiered last fall, they hope to tear down walls and bring some fun back to classical music.

Joo said classical concerts can be "more like a funeral than a celebration of life, emotion and experience." The composers they idolized "were much freer."

Reporter
Doug Pullen

"We're interested in (music), comedy and theater," Joo said, "so why not join all of them together and make a show of it?"

Doug Pullen may be reached at dpullen@elpasotimes.com; 546-6397. Read Pullen My Blog at elpasotimes.com/blogs. Follow him on Twitter at @dougpullen and on Facebook at facebook.com/dougpulleneptimes.

Make plans

What: The El Paso Chamber Music Festival with Igudesman & Joo.

When: 5 p.m. today.

Where: UTEP Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall.

How much: $25, $20 for military and seniors, $5 for students. Tickets are sold at the door and through Ticketmaster, ticketmaster.com and 800-745-3000.